Portal:Turkey

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Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Turkey is home to over 85 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while ethnic Kurds are the largest ethnic minority. Officially a secular state, Turkey has a Muslim-majority population. Ankara is Turkey's capital and second-largest city. Istanbul is its largest city and economic center. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa, and Antalya.

First inhabited by modern humans during the Late Paleolithic, present-day Turkey was home to various ancient peoples. The Hattians were assimilated by the Hittites and other Anatolian peoples. Classical Anatolia transitioned into cultural Hellenization after Alexander the Great's conquests, and later Romanization during the Roman and Byzantine eras. The Seljuk Turks began migrating into Anatolia in the 11th century, starting the Turkification process. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, when it disintegrated into Turkish principalities. Beginning in 1299, the Ottomans united the principalities and expanded. Mehmed II conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in 1453. During the reigns of Selim I and Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire became a global power. From 1789 onwards, the empire saw major changes, reforms, centralization, and rising nationalism while its territory declined.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, persecution of Muslims during the Ottoman contraction and in the Russian Empire resulted in large-scale loss of life and mass migration into modern-day Turkey from the Balkans, Caucasus, and Crimea. Under the control of the Three Pashas, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I in 1914, during which the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian subjects. Following Ottoman defeat, the Turkish War of Independence resulted in the abolition of the sultanate and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. Turkey emerged as a more homogenous nation state. The Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923, modelled on the reforms initiated by the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Turkey remained neutral during most of World War II, but was involved in the Korean War. Several military interventions interfered with the transition to a multi-party system.

Turkey is an upper-middle-income and emerging country; its economy is the world's 16th-largest by nominal and 12th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP. As the 15th-largest electricity producer in the world, Turkey aims to become a hub for regional energy transportation. It is a unitary presidential republic. Turkey is a founding member of the OECD, G20, and Organization of Turkic States. With a geopolitically significant location, Turkey is a NATO member and has its second-largest military force. It may be recognized as an emerging, a middle, and a regional power. As an EU candidate, Turkey is part of the EU Customs Union.

Turkey has coastal plains, a high central plateau, and various mountain ranges; its climate is temperate with harsher conditions in the interior. Home to three biodiversity hotspots, Turkey is prone to frequent earthquakes and is highly vulnerable to climate change. Turkey has a universal healthcare system, growing access to education, and increasing levels of innovativeness. It is a leading TV content exporter. With numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites and intangible cultural heritage inscriptions, and a rich and diverse cuisine, Turkey is the fourth most visited country in the world. (Full article...)

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Karagöz (left) and Hacivat (right)

Karagöz (lit. 'Blackeye' in Turkish) and Hacivat (shortened in time from "Hacı İvaz" meaning "İvaz the Pilgrim", and also sometimes written as Hacivad) are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period and then spread to most nation states of the Ottoman Empire. It is most prominent in Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Adjara (autonomous republic of Georgia). In Greece, Karagöz is known by his local name Karagiozis; in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he is known by his local name Karađoz. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Turkey-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Lake Van (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 2View of Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 3The Bath-Gymnasium complex at Sardis in Turkey. (from History of Turkey)
Image 4Ankara Opera House, designed by Şevki Balmumcu (1933–34) and renovation by Paul Bonatz (1946–47). (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 5View from Levent district in Istanbul. Istanbul's skyline has changed especially since the early 2000s. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 6Istanbul University Faculty of Science and Faculty of Literature Buildings (1944–52) designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 7Yalikavak Palmarina in Bodrum (2014) designed by Emre Arolat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 8A view of Levent from Kanlıca across the Bosporus. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 9Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca was one of the most prolific Turkish poets of the Turkish Republic with more than 60 collections of his poems published, laureate of the Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath Award. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 10Roosevelt, İnönü and Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference which was held between 4–6 December 1943. (from History of Turkey)
Image 11Mount Erciyes near Kayseri (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 12Map showing the Anatolian Plate, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault in Turkey. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 13Anıtkabir designed by Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda (1944–53) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 14Sami Frashëri (1850–1904) and his wife Emine, May 1884. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 15Istanbul (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 16The empire in 555 under Justinian the Great, at its greatest extent since the fall of the Western Roman Empire (its vassals in pink) (from History of Turkey)
Image 17Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 18First Ziraat Bank Headquarters (1925–29) in Ankara designed by Giulio Mongeri is an important symbol of the First National Architectural Movement. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 19Turkish delight (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 20Antalya (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 21Istanbul Sapphire (2006–11) is the tallest building in Turkey and 4th in Europe. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 22Map showing events of the first phases of the Greco-Persian Wars (from History of Turkey)
Image 23Namık Kemal was a prominent Turkish poet, novelist, playwright and journalist of the late-19th-century Ottoman Empire. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 24Butterfly Valley on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 25Atatürk on the cover of the Time magazine, Vol. I No. 4, March 24, 1923. Title: "Mustapha Kemal Pasha" (from History of Turkey)
Image 26The Ottoman Empire in 1683, at the start of the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) (from History of Turkey)
Image 27The Nation's Library of the Presidency, Ankara (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 28Turkish national basketball team won the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 29Beaches and marina of Kemer near Antalya on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 30Ankara (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 31Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC. (from History of Turkey)
Image 32Köppen climate types of Turkey (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 33Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 34Designed by Şekip Akalın, Ankara Central Station (1937) is a notable art deco design of its era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 35Thrace and the Thracian Odrysian kingdom in its maximum extent under Sitalces (431-424 BC) (from History of Turkey)
Image 36Selimiye Mosque in Edirne (1568–1574) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 37Entrance portal of the Karatay Madrasa in Konya (c. 1251) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 38View of Beydağları Coastal National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 39Orhan Veli Kanık was the founder of the Garip Movement in Turkish poetry. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 40Originally a church, later a mosque, and now a Grand mosque, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was built by the Byzantines in the 6th century. (from History of Turkey)
Image 41Kaçkar Mountains. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 42The sultan of the golden age, Suleiman the Magnificent. (from History of Turkey)
Image 43Mehmed II enters Constantinople by Fausto Zonaro (from History of Turkey)
Image 44Map of earthquakes in Turkey 1900–2023 (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 45Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 46Night view of the Taksim Mosque (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 47Mount Ararat (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 48Turkish coffee (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 49Map of Istanbul by the miniature artist Matrakçı Nasuh (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 50Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem (1847–1914) was another prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 51Tevfik Fikret (1867–1915) was a prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 52An oil wrestling tournament in Istanbul. (from Culture of Turkey)

Did you know - show different entries

... that the Church of Saint Benoit in Istanbul
(pictured) is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the city still in use? (August 21, 2012)
... that Istanbul Hezarfen Airfield hosts around 30,000 music fans every September for the annual Rock'n Coke open air music festival? (January 20, 2009) Wikipedia:Recent additions 239
... that before its restoration the Kasim Ağa Mosque in Istanbul was used as a shanty? (April 7, 2012)
... that the Ottoman Bank, established as a private bank in 1856, became a central bank in 1863 and issued banknotes in the Ottoman Empire and then Turkey until 1931? (March 8, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 125
... that Tahir Aydoğdu and his father Gültekin are both players of the qanun, an instrument of Turkish classical music? (July 8, 2013)
... that Krikor Apikoğlu founded Apikoğlu, the first company to mass produce meat products in Turkey? (March 9, 2013)
... that the construction of the Deliktaş Tunnel, Turkey's longest railway tunnel, lasted almost four decades? (April 18, 2014)

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Image 118th-century Ottoman barber's apron
Image 21. picture on portal: The prominent towers of Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; 15th December 2005
Image 3Iznik, 16th-century vase
Image 4The Temple of Athena at Priene, an ancient site near Turunçlar in Aydın province.
Image 5the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Image 6The ancient Lake Abant Nature Park in Bolu
Image 7Atatürk praying
Image 8An airplane with a nazar boncuğu symbol that is said to offer protection from the "evil eye".
Image 9Safranbolu
Image 10Mount Nemrut
Image 11A faculty of Sakarya University
Image 12The sun setting over the Golden Horn in the city of Istanbul.
Image 13A tram in Istanbul
Image 14A Kocek
Image 15The tughra of Mahmud II. "Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima" ("Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious").
Image 16Kemer
Image 17Ölüdeniz
Image 18Flag of Turkey, from flowers
Image 19Tünel, Istanbul
Image 20Aydilge Sarp; Turkish singer, songwriter and novelist
Image 21Antalya
Image 22the Bosphorus Bridge
Image 23Tarkan with Hungarian fans
Image 24Cappadocia
Image 25Lahmacun
Image 26Lake Akdoğan in Muş
Image 27Rize

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İnönü in 1938

Mustafa İsmet İnönü (24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the second president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its prime minister three times: from 1923 to 1924, 1925 to 1937, and 1961 to 1965.

İnönü is acknowledged by many as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's right-hand man, with their friendship going back to the Caucasus campaign. In the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, he served as the first chief of the General Staff from 1922 to 1924 for the regular Turkish army, during which he commanded forces during the First and Second Battles of İnönü. Atatürk bestowed İsmet with the surname İnönü, the site of the battles, when the 1934 Surname Law was adopted. He was also chief negotiator in the Mudanya and Lausanne conferences for the Ankara government, successfully negotiating away the Treaty of Sèvres for the Treaty of Lausanne. As his prime minister for most of his presidency, İnönü executed many of Atatürk's modernizing and nationalist reforms. İnönü gave the orders to carry out the Zilan massacre. (Full article...)

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Burak Yılmaz Piri Reis Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Ahmet Necdet Sezer Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Alp Arslan Nureddin Pasha Tuncay Şanlı Sıla (singer) Orhan Pamuk Erol Gelenbe Kemal Derviş Hande Yener Sertab Erener Said Altınordu Tarkan (singer) Junayd of Aydın Daron Acemoglu

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Boats in Istanbul

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Videos from Turkey on Wikimedia Commons

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“

Heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives! You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

”

1934 ~ Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

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Turkish proverbs in Wikiquote

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Recognized content

	Alanya, Byzantine Empire, SMS Goeben, The Turk, List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, Italian War of 1521–1526, Italian War of 1542–1546, List of battleships of the Ottoman Empire, Rhodes blood libel
	2004 Istanbul summit, 2008 Turkish Grand Prix, Battle of Manzikert, Battle of Marash, Battle of Vaslui, Church of St. Polyeuctus, First Crusade, Great Zab, Hood event, Limyra Bridge, Siege of Szigetvár, Night Attack at Târgoviște, Third Perso-Turkic War, Walls of Constantinople, Gallipoli Campaign, Battle of Lone Pine